About Me

Tacoma, WA, United States
I was the Executive Director of the national non-profit organization, Attention Deficit Disorder Resources, (addresources.org), for 15 years. I am well prepared to provide you with excellent coaching. I graduated from the International Coach Academy, a coaching school certified by the Inter-national Coach Federation and I have a Master's Degree in Social Work. Over the past 15 years, I have talked with numerous people about their ADHD concerns and have attended or presented at a number of ADHD workshops and conferences. I have lived, and eventually thrived, with ADHD which was diagnosed when I was 49. I am married and have three adult sons, two with ADHD. I live in Tacoma, WA although born and raised in a small New England town. I was in the Peace Corps, toured China in 1983 when it first opened to the outside world, and seen much of the United Staes, especially our beautiful national parks. My interests, beyond helping people with ADHD achieve their full potential, are playing brain games on the computer, reading, travel, bicycling, skiing and hiking.

Monday, April 7, 2008

What Does This Mean: "It's an Explanation; Not an Excuse."?

Have you ever heard the expression ,"It's an explanation, not an excuse" when people talk about ADHD behaviors?

The wording of this slogan is confusing. What does it mean? What is the difference between an explanation and an excuse? The dictionary definition for "explain" is , "making clear or intelligible something that is not known or understood" while the definition for "excuse" (there were several but these meant the most to me) is "to try to free a person from blame; to serve as an explanation or justification for: to justify, exculpate, absolve." People who have given up on themselves, and feel their ADHD will never allow them to be successful, might be tempted to use ADHD as an excuse--a reason they give themselves about why they aren't more successful; why they might not even want to try.

To manage your ADHD in a healthy manner, this paradigm needs to shift. Yes, ADHD causes challenges in your life, but in trying to be your best, you need to be willing to work to overcome or manage your challenges. You focus on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

If you are motivated to make ADHD an explanation for how you function, and not an excuse for why you fail, then coaching could be the tool that will bring you to the next level in your life's satisfactions. Call Cynthia now at 253-238-0729 to discuss whether coaching is appropriate for you.
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